PHOTO ESSAY
That '60s Show
The National Gallery embraces the flower power decade
By Liz Hodgson
 Copper Thunderbird: Merman Ruler of Water by Norval Morrisseau. Courtesy National Gallery of Canada. |
Norval Morrisseau (1931-)
Copper Thunderbird: Merman Ruler of Water
1969
Acrylic on paper
Not all ’60s art shunned existing artistic methods and media. Some artists enthusiastically embraced the past while imbuing their work with modern ideas. This is why Leclerc chose to include Norval Morrisseau’s Copper Thunderbird: Merman Ruler of Water. Painted in acrylic on paper, Morrisseau’s rendering, according to Leclerc, “modernized the way to express ancient legends.” In the ’60s, folk art underwent a dramatic reappraisal. “Traditionally, these works were of anthropological or ethnological or even archeological interest,” says the curator. “They were mostly acquired by museums of civilization. Then the artists started saying, ‘Hey, what about us? Why don’t you see this as art, too?’ Since then, we have appreciated the style from an artistic point of view.”
More from this Author
Liz Hodgson
- Rhyme and Reason
- Camille Paglia on the world's best poetry
- That '60s Show
- The National Gallery embraces the flower power decade
- Groundbreaker
- A profile of architect Daniel Libeskind
- 2004: The Year in Advertising